Yukhari Bash State Historical-Architectural Reserve, Historical-architectural reserve in Sheki, Azerbaijan

Yukhari Bash State Historical-Architectural Reserve covers 283 hectares in the upper, elevated part of Sheki. It contains the Nukha fortress with the Sheki Khan Palace, the main trading street lined with caravanserais and craft shops, and the old mahallas of Gileyli, Qırıçı, Qullar, Duluzlar, Aqvanlar, Otaq eşiyi and Sarı torpaq. The fortress walls, built in 1790, form an irregular polygon 1,300 metres long, with a northern wall 4 metres high, a southern wall 8 metres high and 2.2 metres thick.

Yuxarı Baş occupies the upper, oldest part of Şəki, which grew after a 1772 flood of the Kiş river destroyed the older settlement and its residents moved to Nuxa, about 100 metres above the river. The citadel was built in 1790. The reserve was created by a 1968 decree of the Council of Ministers of the Azerbaijan SSR, and in 2019 the historic centre with the Khan's Palace joined the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The reserve's mahallas keep names tied to the crafts once practised there: Gileyli, Qırıçı, Qullar, Duluzlar, Aqvanlar, Otaq eşiyi, Sarı torpaq. The main shopping street, today Mirzə Fətəli Axundov Street, runs from the fortress along the Qurcanaçay and was laid out so that sunlight never faced a pedestrian walking it.

The site sits on a hillside with open access to explore the outer structures and the mosque building. It is advisable to wear comfortable shoes since the grounds are uneven and sturdy footwear helps when walking on older stone surfaces.

The reserve's name, Yuxarı Baş, means "Upper Head" in Azerbaijani, referring to the elevated part of Sheki where the Khan's citadel stood. The 1852 plan of Nukha (Sheki's name until 1968) lists Yuxarı Baş as one of seven quarters, alongside Gəncəli, Dabahi, Paydumlu, Çayqıraq, Təzəkənd and Köhnəkənt.